Facial tissue cartons come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes but they can generally be classified as either one of two basic styles. One style is the flat carton and the other is the upright carton. In a flat carton, the tissues are laid flat into the carton and are withdrawn from the top of the carton or through an opening in the top which partially extends downward into the front sidewall. The tissues within the carton may be interfolded for pop-up dispensing or merely laid on top of one another for reach-in dispensing. In an upright carton, the tissues are folded into an inverted U-shaped clip and are interfolded for pop-up dispensing. Each tissue is singularly withdrawn through a dispensing opening in the top of the carton, which may contain a polymeric film having a slit to hold the popped up tissue in place.
Both types of facial tissue cartons can experience dispensing problems after the number of tissues within the carton is reduced. This dispensing problem is primarily concerned with what is known by those skilled in the art as “fall back.” Fall back occurs as the number of tissues within the carton is reduced and the distance between the uppermost tissue and the dispensing opening in the top of the carton increases. This can cause the uppermost tissue to fall back into the box rather than being retained by the opening for ready removal. In flat cartons having an opening in the front wall, each tissue has a flat orientation relative to an adjacent tissue and the dispensing opening is usually of a large size. These two features facilitate the insertion of a consumer's fingers into the carton such that the uppermost tissue can be grasped and removed. Upright cartons present a distinct difference in that the tissues retained in the carton are folded into an inverted U-shape and the dispensing opening is usually of a smaller size than that formed in flat cartons. Because of these two features, the problem associated with trying to withdraw the uppermost tissue after it has fallen back into the carton is more difficult with upright carton configurations.
For upright carton dispensers, it is known in the art to provide a bottom support member, such as a wedge shaped member, under the clip of stacked sheets to maintain the clip in close proximity to the dispensing opening or aperture in the top surface. Reference is made for example to U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,889.
Non-rectangular shaped upright dispensers, such as oval, oblong, elliptical, and the like, shaped dispensers are becoming increasingly popular with the consuming public. Such dispensers, for instance, may be considered by consumers to improve the aesthetics of the product, especially facial tissue products where dispensers are sometimes displayed in plain view around a person's home. Oval or other rounded and elongated dispensers may also be appealing and fanciful to children, thus encouraging them to use the product for improving their hygiene habits. Unique and stylistic-shaped dispensers may also allow manufacturers to better differentiate their products from the products of others and to otherwise indicate quality.
The oval and other curved sidewall upright cartons present the same “fall back” issue discussed above, and other unique challenges to the manufacturer due to the rounded nature of the carton. For example, efficient loading of a clip of stacked sheets within the rounded carton is an issue. Also, retention of the clip within the carton adjacent to the dispensing opening to ensure dispensing of all of the sheet products is more difficult due to the rounded sidewalls of the carton.
In view of the above, the present invention relates to a novel upright carton dispenser particularly suited for curved sidewall containers or any other suitable complex shape.